Field: This invention relates to apparatus for use in servicing aircraft at airports. More specifically, the invention is directed to aircraft boarding bridges which are adapted for permitting egress from and ingress to an aircraft positioned adjacent to an airport terminal building.
Statement of the Art: Aircraft boarding bridges have become a commonplace phenomena at airport terminals both in this country and abroad. Such bridges provide a passageway for aircraft passengers and crew from the terminal building to an aircraft parked proximate to the terminal building. These bridges are highly valued for their ability to shelter aircraft passengers and crew from inclement weather as well as their ability to facilitate access to the aircraft for those having special needs, such as the disabled.
A reoccurring requirement encountered at airports is the need to provide boarding bridge access to a multiplicity of aircraft types. Given the existence of a number of aircraft manufacturers, each with their own particular aircraft doorway design and the lack of a standardized configuration for the entry way of an aircraft, airport service personnel are confronted on a daily basis with the need to provide an access way to a number of aircraft doorway configurations and orientations with a single boarding bridge assembly.
A primary example of this circumstance are the requirements posed by the door configurations typically found on large commercial aircraft verses the door configurations found on smaller commuter-type aircraft. In the case of the large commercial aircraft, the door is opened by means of a lateral displacement of the door panel, e.g. The door may open by pivoting about a vertical axis. Traditional boarding bridge constructions permit the aircraft door to be opened or closed, subsequent to the bridge being abutted against or docked up to the aircraft. The aircraft door is pivoted about its vertical axis through the open space found at the open end of the bridge until the door comes to rest against the side of the aircraft. Since the path of travel of the door is above the floor of the boarding bridge, the positioning of the boarding bridge floor against the sidewall of the aircraft does not impede the opening or closing of the aircraft door. Since the aircraft door does not come into contact with the floor structure of the boarding bridge during either the opening or closing procedure, boarding bridges have typically been constructed to define a planar floor element which is positioned elevationally below the door opening and positioned to extend outwardly from the doorway of the aircraft when the bridge is in a docked position.
In contrast, commuter aircraft oftentimes utilize a door assembly which pivots about a horizontal axis, positioned at the lower end of the door. In many instances, the door of a conventional commuter aircraft is fitted with a series of steps on its interior surface. In its open position the door defines a stairwell for accessing the aircraft or alternatively deplaning from the aircraft. The fact that commuter aircraft doors pivot about a horizontal axis creates a number of complications for the operator of a conventional boarding bridge structure which has been designed for use with aircraft having doors which pivot about a vertical axis. In those instances wherein a bridge is used to service a commuter aircraft, the bridge is conventionally brought into abutment against the aircraft fuselage prior to the opening of the aircraft door in order to shield the opening of the door from the environment. During the door opening procedure the operator of a conventionally constructed bridge is confronted with the problem of accommodating the downward passage of the door through an area presently occupied by the floor of the bridge. Assuming that some method is found to permit the opening of the door, the bridge operator is then faced with the challenge of providing a floor system between the aircraft and the main structure of the bridge
It should be appreciated that aircraft boarding bridges seek to provide a passageway which is of considerable height above the surface of the underlying tarmac. Understandably, considerations of safety play a pivotal role in boarding bridge design. Changes in the configuration of the floor system of a boarding bridge, which are often mandated in transitioning from servicing an aircraft of one type to servicing an aircraft of a different configuration present a significant safety concern, in that adequate measures need to be taken to preclude passengers from inadvertently falling through openings in the floor system which may be created during any reconfirmation of the floor system.
Another concern faced by boarding bridge designers is the need to provide an engagement of the boarding bridge with the sidewall of the fuselage of the aircraft which minimizes the likelihood of damage to the aircraft fuselage. On the one hand, the engagement must provide a cover of the gap separating the aircraft from the main structure of the bridge sufficient to preclude a passenger from falling between the aircraft and the boarding bridge and thereby injuring himself or herself. On the other hand, the engagement cannot be so rigid that damage is done to the fuselage of the aircraft as a result of the engagement. Traditionally, boarding bridge designers have provided a bumper on the end of a boarding bridge as a means of providing an engagement of the bridge with the parked aircraft. This bumper serves not only to cover the gap existing between the aircraft and the main structure of the bridge, but furthermore, the bumper provides a structure of sufficient flexibility that the fuselage is spared from being damaged by the abutment of the bumper against the fuselage sidewall.
Providing an acceptable bumper structure for a boarding bridge is rendered difficult in view of the need to service a multiplicity of aircraft doorway configurations. While one bumper structure may be adequate for one particular aircraft doorway configuration, the same bumper may prove totally unworkable for the next aircraft to be serviced by the boarding bridge. In addition while the bumper structure must be sufficiently rigid to support the weight of passengers stepping on it as they enter or leave the aircraft, the bumper must also be sufficiently pliancy that it can comply with the fuselage of the aircraft without damaging that fuselage.
It follows that there presently exists a need for an engagement structure for a boarding bridge which at once addresses the need to provide a means of accommodating varied aircraft door constructions, particularly vertically pivoted doors and horizontally pivoting doors. Further, a need exists for an engagement structure adapted for providing a dimensionally adjustable floor system for the transition area between the aircraft and the main structure of the boarding bridge which likewise is suitable for use with both types of aircraft door structures. It is further recognized that such an engagement structure should minimize safety concerns and the likelihood of damage to the aircraft fuselage sidewall Such an engagement structure should provide flexibility and adaptability whereby the boarding bridge may be used to service aircraft having a variety of doorway constructions of various dimension, configuration, orientation and operation.